The present invention relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to text entry into wireless communication devices.
Wireless communication devices have become ubiquitous. Devices such as wireless telephones include so-called mobile station modems (MSM) that essentially are wireless communication computers which, like all digital computers, execute software to undertake the functions desired by the user.
Among the functions telephones, including wireless telephones, can undertake is facilitating text entry by a user. More particularly, it is sometimes the case that a user calling another party will be prompted to enter short text messages, such as when a person telephones a company and is directed by an automated system to enter the letters of the name of the person sought to be reached. This can be accomplished by depressing the number keys 2-9, which are correlated to letters.
Because each number key corresponds to three and in some cases four letters, however, provision must be made for allowing the user to select the desired one of the three or four letters represented by a number key. One way this is accomplished is through multitap, wherein the user depresses the relevant number key once for the first letter represented by the key, twice for the second, etc. This approach suffers the drawback of requiring up to four taps for one letter, and it also requires a user to wait until a timeout period has elapsed to select two or more letters in a row from the same key.
Another method for facilitating text entry using a telephone number pad is to provide an electronic dictionary in the phone that can be searched using heuristic algorithms to find a match for an entered sequence of key strokes. If more than one match is possible, the candidates are presented on a display to allow the user to select the intended text string. This can be cumbersome, and storing an electronic dictionary can consume considerable data storage resources in the phone. Moreover, in the case of names, for instance, which do not appear in the dictionary, the desired string might not be returned at all. Having made these critical observations, the present invention is provided.
A method for inputting text using a telephone includes, for at least one letter sought to be input, manipulating a number key representing letters in combination with manipulating one other key.
In another aspect, a method for text entry using a telephone having number keys includes manipulating a number key representing plural letters, and manipulating an indicator key on the telephone. If the number key and indicator key are manipulated within a predetermined time period of each other, a single one of the letters represented by the number key is returned, i.e., is input as text. The predetermined time period may be zero, i.e., the two keys might have to be manipulated simultaneously with each other.
In a preferred embodiment, a correspondence is established between each letter represented by each number key that has letters and a combination of the number key representing the letter and an indicator key. The indicator key can be the star key, the pound sign key, a number key such as xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d that does not conventionally represent any letters, or some other key. Using a conventional telephone keypad scheme, the number keys representing letters are keys representing the numbers 2-9. Accordingly, depressing the star key along with a number key can indicate the second letter represented by the number key, while depressing the pound sign key along with a number key can indicate the third letter represented by the number key.
In another aspect, a system is disclosed that has plural number keys (such as the keys 2-9), each representing plural letters, and at least one indicator key, such as the star key and pound sign key. A correspondence is established between a single letter and a combination of one and only one number key, and one and only one indicator key, such that the keys can be manipulated in combination with each other to enter the single letter as text.
In still another aspect, a communication device includes number keys representing a respective number and respective plural letters, and a processor executing logic to return a predetermined letter only if two and only two keys that are precorrelated to the predetermined letter are manipulated in accordance with a letter entry protocol.
The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, can best be understood in reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which: